Tomato Rasam / Tomato Chaaru

Needed

1. Tomatoes - 2
2. Green chillies - 3
3. Onion - 1/2
4. Curry leaves - 1 strand
5. Coriander - 1/4 bunch
6. Toor dal/ Red lenthils - 1 cup
7. Water - 1 1/2 cup
8. Rasam Powder - 2 table spoons ( heap)
9. Asofaetida - a pinch
10. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
11. Cumin Seeds - 1 tea spoon
12. Ghee- 1 tablespoon
13. Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
14. Salt as needed
15. Turmeric Powder - 1 tea spoon
16. Tamarind paste - 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Wash and chop tomatoes into quarter pieces.
2. Cut the half onion vertically into thin slices.
3. Chop the green chillies into tiny bits.
4. Wash the toor dal and place it with tomatoes, onion, green chillies and curry leaves in a pressure cooker.
5. Add 1 1/2 cup water for 1 cup of toor dal.
6. Heat the mixture and let the cooker whistle for 3 times.
7. Instead of pressure cooker, you can also directly boil the ingredients in 1 1/2 cup of water in a vessel on medium flame.
8. Once the tomatoes and dal are cooked, place the mixture again on low flame.
9. Add rasam powder, salt, tamarind paste, turmeric, jaggery and let it boil for about 10 minutes.
10. Now add coriander and boil for another 10 minutes.
11. Switch off the burner.
12. Place a small sauce pan on another burner on low flame, add the ghee.
13. Once the oil gets heated up, add mustard and cumin seeds.
14. As they splutter, add asofaetida and as the aroma spreads, put the mixture into the rasam prepared.
15. Close the lid of the rasam mixture immediately so that the aroma sinks in.
16. Serve this rasam after half an hour to enjoy the mouth-watering flavors.

Rasam Powder

Needed

1. Coriander seeds - 1 cup
2. Guntur Red chillies - 1 fistful
3. Byadige Red chillies - 1 fistful
4. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 cup
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 cup
6. Pepper - 1/8 cup
7. Mustard seeds - 2 tablespoon
8. Curry Leaves - 4 strands

Method

1. Fry each of the above ingredients in a sauce pan independently without oil.
2. Ensure that the items are fried only till the raw smell vanishes.
3. The chillies should not turn black and none of the ingredients should get charred.
4. Combine all the fried ingredients in a grinder and grind to a coarse powder.
5. Place the Rasam powder in an air tight container to preserve the aroma.